Racist graffiti sprayed on Jerusalem monastery

"Price-tag" and anti-Christian slogans were sprayed on the gate of the Monastery of Saint Francis, just outside of the Old City, Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Ma'an.

"Jesus is a son of a bitch" was also reportedly sprayed on the Christian site, Israeli media said.

Police have opened an investigation into the incident, which has "nationalistic motives," Rosenfeld added.

PLO official Saeb Erekat slammed the latest attack on religious sites and called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law.

"This culture of impunity that some countries have granted to Israel has allowed settlers to escalate their racist attacks against Palestinians without any legal accountability," he added.

Israeli president Shimon Peres condemned the attack, saying "holy sites must not be harmed," a statement said.

In early September, suspected Jewish extremists torched the wooden door of a Jerusalem monastery and sprayed "Jesus is a monkey" and pro-settler graffiti on the walls.

In February, suspected Jewish extremists wrote "Death to Christianity" on two Jerusalem churches. The graffiti also included profanity about Jesus, and the vandals slashed the tires of several cars parked in one of the church compounds.

"Price Tag" attacks have targeted mosques, Palestinian homes and Israeli military installations in the occupied West Bank.

An ancient mosque in Jerusalem was torched on Dec. 13, and sprayed with the Star of David, "price tag," "Muhammad is a pig" and "A good Arab is a dead Arab" in Hebrew.